I recently had the chance to talk with Mike Browning of Nocturnus A.D before their set at the Brass Mug in Tampa, FL, we talked about the band being a part of this year’s Maryland Deathfest, upcoming music and more. Check it out after the jump.
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Q – Nocturnus A.D are a part of this year’s Maryland Deathfest, what are your expectations for the festival, and are there any bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Mike – Well this will be our first big festival, so we are really looking forward to do what is probably the best Metal Fest in the United States! The lineup is amazing, especially seeing a Dark Angel Reunion, Necros Christos, Cancer, Immolation, Triptykon and a bunch more!
Q – I know you guys have been asked to play “The Key” in it’s entirety at MDF, are there any plans of doing so?
Mike – Well we are ready to play the whole thing, I just hope that they will give us enough set time to play the whole album, that is really the only problem I see is not having enough time to play it all.
Q – You were fresh to the scene when you released “The Key”, how do you feel it still holds up today after years of experience?
Mike – Actually I was in Morbid Angel and Incubus before Nocturnus and we had put out 2 demos as Nocturnus already, so the band had been around a few years by the time we put out The Key, but The Key was an album that had keyboards at a time where not many bands were using them in death metal and it has become a kind of cult album I think. Even when people hear it for the first time now it still stands up to what is being put out today I think.
Q – “The Key” will be turning 25 years old next year, are there any plans to commemorate it?
Mike – Well hopefully by putting out a new Nocturnus AD record that will be a continuation of the story from The Key and playing more of the European Festivals.
Q – It has been 14 years since fans have had any fresh Nocturnus material, and even longer with you on it. Are there plans of ever putting out a new album as Nocturnus A.D?
Mike – Yes it’s been a long time and we have just started working on new material that will be similar to what is on The Key, both lyrically and musically. Since I never got to continue with the story of The Key because Nocturnus went a different direction with Thresholds instead of doing what I wanted which was to continue the story from The Key, so now I will be able to do that with this new band!
Q – After Death put out a split album with Unassprechlichen Kulten back in 2012, are there any current plans for new music?
Mike – We just finished doing a cover version of Venom’s At War With Satan for a Venom Tribute album that Iron Pegasus Records will be putting out this year, it’s the extended 21 1/2 minute version and will be one whole side of the vinyl and we have 2 more new songs to record for a Compilation CD that will be coming out with a custom Tarot Deck, so we are doing songs for The Devil and Death cards. After that we will take a break from After Death to concentrate on writing the new Nocturnus AD material.
Q – What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended that you didn’t play?
Mike – Probably some of the classic stuff that I saw back in the 80’s like Dio with Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osborne with Randy Rhoads, Pink Floyd on the Animals tour and of course the one time I saw Merciful Fate!
Q – What are some of your favorite music releases from the past year?
Mike – I have been listening to stuff like Septic Flesh, Grave Miasma, Fleshgod Apocalypse, there are some amazing bands putting out some great stuff!
